Devin Moore (born Devin Darnell Thompson on May 15, 1985 in

Fayette, Alabama Fayette is a city and the county seat of Fayette County, Alabama, United States. The population was 4,619 at the 2010 census, down from 4,922 at the 2000 census. History Originally known as "La Fayette", it incorporated on January 15, 1821. W ...

) is a convicted murderer from

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

who sparked a

controversy Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an opposite d ...

over the

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

'' Grand Theft Auto: Vice City'' when he committed three acts of first-degree murder in the

police station in 2003. Moore killed two policemen (Arnold Strickland and James Crump) and a dispatcher (Leslie Mealer) after being booked on suspicion of stealing a car. He then fled in a highway patrol vehicle. Moore was apprehended later in Mississippi. According to the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. n ...

, after his recapture he said, "Life is a video game. Everybody's got to die sometime." Once in custody, Moore quickly confessed. He told detectives that he shot the men because he didn't want to go to jail.Dwyer, Kevin and Fiorillo, Juré. ''True Stories of Law & Order: SVU''. 2007: Berkley/Penguin, page 139. () The controversy involving his relation to ''

Grand Theft Auto ''Grand Theft Auto'' (''GTA'') is a series of action-adventure games created by David Jones and Mike Dailly. Later titles were developed under the oversight of brothers Dan and Sam Houser, Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut. It is primarily de ...

'' was revealed during an episode of ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique st ...

'' on March 4, 2005. In the episode, a student demonstrated ''Grand Theft Auto'' to them, showing them the adult nature of the game. Moore, who recently graduated from high school at the time, had no criminal record and was never in trouble before. He had enlisted in the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ar ...

and was due to leave for service at the end of the summer.

Legal proceedings

Moore faced trial in 2005 and pleaded not guilty. The trial judge barred the defense from introducing evidence to the jury that ''Grand Theft Auto'' incited Moore's shooting spree. Moore's attorney, Jim Standridge, contended that Moore was suffering from

post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on a ...

at the time of the crimes. Standridge argued that, as a child, Moore had been emotionally and physically abused by his father. In August 2005, Moore was convicted as charged. On October 9, 2005, he was sentenced to death by

lethal injection Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium solution) for the express purpose of causing rapid death. The main application for this procedure is capital puni ...

. Jim Standridge appealed the case. On February 17, 2012, the

Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,76 ...

upheld Moore's conviction in a 5–0 decision. The case will automatically be appealed to the

Alabama Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Alabama is the highest court in the state of Alabama. The court consists of a chief justice and eight associate justices. Each justice is elected in partisan elections for staggered six-year terms. The Supreme Court is house ...

, and can then be appealed to the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point ...

Personal life

Moore is the brother of Mookie Moore, a former

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

player.Suspect described as "troubled child" with history of stealing
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Devin 1985 births Living people American people convicted of murdering police officers American prisoners sentenced to death People with post-traumatic stress disorder People convicted of murder by Alabama People from Fayette, Alabama Prisoners sentenced to death by Alabama

Legal proceedings

Personal life

See also

References